Making a Comeback
by DarthFeral
Summary: A new restaurant has popped up in Magix city, and Bloom, Stella, and their boyfriends are excited to check it out. However, a terrifying string of events unfolds from this otherwise normal day, and leaves the Winx and the Specialists running from the darkest evil they have ever faced...


It was a beautiful day in Magix city, not a cloud in the bright blue sky. Bloom and Stella had dragged their boyfriends along on a chaotic shopping trip. Stella looked behind her at Sky and Brandon, who were moping along, not enjoying themselves in the least. She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the shops. Suddenly, something in the window of Temptress caught her eye. Squealing in excitement, she ran over to examine the beautiful red dress more closely. Bloom, however, was staring in rapture at the cute leopard print handbag on sale at Purrfect.

"I need to get that!" both girls exclaimed in unison, then turned to look at each other and burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, Sky's stomach had started rumbling.

"When are we going to eat?" he complained, running to catch up with the girls, "I'm starving!"

"Just a moment," Stella held up her hand in a 'please wait' gesture, "this dress would make an excellent addition to my wardrobe."

Bloom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and this bag is only $50 now - there's a 50% off sale!" she added. Sky groaned and glanced over his shoulder, hoping he and Brandon were on the same page. Brandon was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to where the girls had been standing and found that they had disappeared too. Then he caught a glimpse of both Brandon and Stella inside Temptress, and figured Bloom must have gone into Purrfect to get the bag. Following her into the shop, he found her browsing through the tiger pattern accessories. Sky moaned in frustration.

"I thought you were just going to buy the handbag," he complained loudly, causing everyone in the shop to turn their heads. He lowered his voice a notch. "Then we could get some lunch."

Bloom rudely ignored him, holding a pair of tiger boots at arm's length and making a face.

"No, these just aren't me, are they?" she said to herself, putting them back on the shelf and picking up a pair of platform sandals. Sky sighed in annoyance. They were going to be here a long time.

Stella, having bought the dress and about a dozen makeup products and shoes, was finished at Temptress. Wandering into Purrfect, she saw the cutest crop ever. It had on it a picture of a kitten next to a ruined armchair. The words on the back of the top read: He's called Buster for a reason!

Stella made an "aw" sound, snatched up the top, and breezed into the changing room. Brandon went over to where Sky and Bloom were. Bloom was still trying to find the perfect pair of shoes. She grabbed the tiger print sneakers and frowned.

"Nope!" she announced, clearly becoming frustrated at how so many of these shoes didn't work for her. She tried on a pair of ballet flats.

"Come on, let's just get the bag and get out," Sky coaxed.

"That might be a good idea," Brandon agreed. His arms were laden with the bags Stella had asked him to carry, and he was tired of them already.

Stella did a twirl in front of the mirror. Yes, this top definitely looked good on her. Changing back into her other clothes, she rushed to Bloom's side and cracked up laughing.

"Haven't you realised already that tiger print doesn't suit you?" she told her friend, steering her towards the leopard accessories before going up to the counter to buy the kitten crop top. Bloom remembered what she had first come in for and picked up the cute little bag. On her way to the counter, she saw a beautiful pair of "tortie" boots, but she decided not to delay anymore, for Sky's sake. He had already suffered enough.

Once Bloom had bought the bag, she led everyone out of the shop.

"Finally it's lunchtime!" Sky breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the rest of the group. "Where are we headed?"

Stella scratched her head, wondering which of the popular restaurants she'd like to visit today. Bloom was thinking along a different line, though.

"Why don't we check out that new place in town?" she suggested, and Brandon nodded.

"Sounds cool!" he said, nudging Stella, who was pouting because she had wanted to go to the café near her favourite shop. Sky nodded. He didn't really care where they went for lunch; he was just glad that the annoying girly shopping was over. Honestly, he didn't understand how females were so addicted to the art of buying things. As they walked through the city, Stella grabbed the bag full of makeup from Brandon, and she and Bloom started going through it, studying each item carefully. Bloom suddenly snorted with laughter, holding up a rather large eyeshadow palette.

"Seriously, how much eyeshadow have you already got?" she giggled, looking at all the different colours, "You probably won't even use most of these shades anyway!"

Brandon looked over at Sky, who just shrugged. Who knew what was going on in their minds?

* * *

The boys started a conversation of their own as their girlfriends pored over the stuff in the makeup bag. In no time at all, they had reached their destination. Walking into the restaurant, they all sat down at a table and Bloom signalled a waiter.

"Welcome to The Vee," he told them courteously, "what may I get you?"

"Just the menu, please." Bloom replied. It seemed as though he flinched a little at her voice, but that was probably just her imagination. Straightening himself up, he smiled graciously and walked away to get what they had asked for.

A few seconds later, he laid a copy of the menu in front of each of them, telling them he would be back in a while to get their orders. Bloom ran her finger down the list of dishes and stopped at the seafood pizza option.

"Wow, they do make pizza in Magix!" she exclaimed, showing her friends. Stella's eyes widened.

"Pizza? That's weird." she mused, looking at her own menu. "It doesn't have pizza on mine." Looking through it a bit more, she gasped in amazement. "In fact, instead of the pizza, it says chips and dip!"

Brandon and Sky looked through their menus, and realised that they didn't have either of those choices. On Sky's menu, it was replaced by lamb casserole, and on Brandon's, the dish was steak-related.

"This is weird, the menus contain our own favourite food." Bloom was starting to get a little worried, what with the waiter's behaviour at hearing her speak, and now this! "It's as if they were individually picked out by someone who knows who we are - what we like."

The waiter came back with his notepad, and they all placed their orders. Each of them chose their favourite, except Bloom. She decided that she didn't like what was going on, so she ordered the spaghetti bolognese instead.

"Are you sure you don't want that seafood pizza?" The waiter asked her, but she politely refused.

"Can I get you a drink?" He suggested, "Maybe the mojito mocktail?"

Bloom didn't see anything wrong with her drinks menu, so she decided to accept. _Besides, I've never tried something like that before! _She reasoned with herself, _It's not like he picked my favourite right out of my head._

"Sure, I'd like that." she told him, and he scribbled it down in his notepad before heading off to the kitchen.

Arriving in the kitchen, he met up with three waitresses coming the other way. One had long silver hair tied up in a ponytail, the girl standing next to her had purplish black hair shaped like a stormcloud, and the third had dirty-blond hair hanging loose down her back.

"Plan going well, Theo?" the first girl asked, smiling darkly.

"Yes, very well." he told her, returning the smile, "I told you it would work, Icy." He kept walking, then turned around to face her again. "And please stop calling me Theo, we're safe here in the kitchen."

"Okay then, if you say so." Icy replied. "When do we move to stage 2, Valtor?"

"Now." Valtor waved his hand and a drink appeared on the third waitress's tray. "Darcy, you know what to do."

Making her way towards the group's table, Darcy flashed a smirk back at her two sisters. _Obviously Valtor likes me best, or he wouldn't have chosen me for this part of the plan! _She told them telepathically, and Icy frowned, mouthing: "Keep on task."

Bloom smiled at the waitress, having no idea who she really was. Darcy placed the drink on the table and tried her best to sound polite, though all she really wanted to do was blast them into oblivion.  
"Mojito mocktail for you, milady," she told Bloom, bowing gracefully before trying not to look like she was in a hurry as she power-walked back to the kitchen where her sisters and Valtor were waiting.

"Wow, this place is really cool!" Bloom grinned. "They're treating us like royalty!"

Stella rolled her eyes. "Of course they are." She scoffed, "We are royalty, or have you forgotten that Sky is crown prince of Eraklyon, I'm the princess of Solaria, and you're princess of Domino!"

Bloom giggled and took a sip of her drink. It tasted nicer than anything she had ever had before, and she took another sip, and another. It was making her feel light-headed, but she liked the feeling. She drank a bit more, and the room started spinning. Laughing almost hysterically, she tried to drink some more, but ended up tipping only about a quarter of the liquid into her mouth, while the rest spilled down the front of her top. She swallowed what she had in her mouth, then fell sideways into Sky's arms. He looked worriedly at her as she lapsed into unconsciousness.

"It was supposed to be a mojito mocktail, wasn't it?" He told Stella and Brandon, frowning, "That means it's alcohol free." Gazing down at Bloom's face, he sucked in a breath through his teeth. "But whatever she just drank was either mostly alcohol, or it was magically altered."

"I'd say magically altered," Brandon watched the liquid hissing and steaming on Bloom's top with concern in his eyes. "We'll have to take her back to Alfea right now."

Picking her up bridal-style, Sky quickly carried Bloom out of the restaurant, closely followed by Stella and Brandon who were looking over his shoulders, watching for any signs that she was waking up. Bloom wasn't aware of anything happening around her, being deeply unconscious. The world was shut right out as she entered a dream.

**Bloom POV**

I'm in a forest, running and running, but knowing full well that I'm hopelessly lost. Suddenly, I see a shape looming out of the dense fog. As I get closer, the shape takes on a human form wearing a billowing maroon cape that looks rather familiar. Coming even closer, I finally see who it is, and the sight freezes my blood in my veins.

"Valtor!" I spit his name with venom, but he just smiles slyly at me.

"We meet again, Bloom," he declares, coming to stand right in front of me. I try to run, but my feet are rooted to the spot.

"What do you want?" I ask fearfully, but he ignores me. He reaches his hand up to touch my face; I snap at it, and he quickly pulls away.

"Still the feisty little dragon, aren't you?" Valtor chuckles. I'm horrified at his attitude towards me. He's acting as if we're friends - no, more than just friends - rather than arch enemies. I scowl at him, making it clear that no matter how hard he tries, he can't win me over. Trying to turn and walk away, I find that my feet are still frozen to the ground. Looking down, I realise they're literally frozen, and my legs are numb from the cold. I try melting the ice with my magic dragon fire, but to no avail. Somehow, it remains solid no matter what I throw at it. I wince as Valtor takes my hand, expecting it to be icy cold, but instead a warmth radiates throughout my body, melting the ice around my feet and bringing feeling back to my legs. I know I can move, but I don't try to run away again. The feeling of warmth that Valtor is giving me is so comforting, so relaxing. I've never felt this way when Sky holds my hand…

_No, stop it! _I tell myself furiously, but my body is already melting into Valtor's arms. I'm feeling safer than I ever have before, though I have no idea why. Valtor… loves me? I'm confused. The last time we met, he was trying to kill me! I'm starting to doubt Sky as I sink deeper into the tranquility of Valtor's love.

* * *

They were at Alfea, and Miss Faragonda was looking carefully at Bloom, trying to figure out what was wrong. Sky sat in a chair by the side of the sick room bed. He couldn't leave Bloom, not when she was so helpless. Hearing her mutter in her sleep, he strained his ears to catch what she was saying. He couldn't make out any words - she was probably too drunk on dark magic to form understandable sounds. Sky found himself drifting in and out of sleep while the headmistress examined Bloom again and again, getting frustrated at how little seemed wrong. Then Bloom exhaled loudly.

"Valtor…"

Sky jumped. He certainly hadn't been expecting that word - that name - to leave her lips, even in the state she was now. Faragonda was also surprised, and decided to try out one of the spells that let her see into a person's dreams.

"Look, you might not want to see whatever's going on in her mind," she began, but Sky cut her off.

"I have to see whether she's hurt or not," he told her, coming over and kissing Bloom's forehead. "it doesn't matter what's happening in her dream, as long as she's safe."

Faragonda made a disapproving sound, but let the young man stay in the sick room while she performed the spell. Bloom's dream came up around them in horrifying 3D, like a holographic projection. She was standing with Valtor, holding his hand while he cradled her against him, shutting out the terrors of the forest around them. Sky ran towards them, tried to pull Bloom away from the man, but his hands passed through both of them as if they were made of mist. His voice choked up, and he said to Bloom: "Don't do this - don't leave me for him!" He knew well enough that she couldn't hear him, this was her dream and Sky wasn't a part of it. He just wished he had heeded Faragonda's advice. Wished he could leave this sickening vision and find some way to erase the memory. As the two enemies embraced, Sky sat down and put his head in his hands, unable to take it anymore. Looking up, he found Valtor staring straight at him. It seemed like he could see him, but how was that even possible? He had seen that Bloom didn't have any idea that he was watching. But Valtor tossed him a sneer and turned back to Bloom, brushing his lips against her ear.

"We have visitors, darling," he told her, making Sky's blood boil at his use of the word 'darling.' Bloom looked around uncomprehendingly.

"There's no-one here, Valtor," she replied, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Are you teasing me?"

Sky choked back a sob. Bloom was already so close to her former worst enemy, and she was acting like no-one else mattered. The whole world was collapsing around him as he watched Valtor caress her face.

"You may not see them, but there are two looking on your dream right now," he stated, "the headmistress of your school, and your boyfriend, Sky."

"Sky's watching?" Bloom's eyes widened and she stepped back from Valtor's loving embrace, fear starting to show on her face, "Oh, what will he be thinking?" She broke down in tears, adding, "This must be tearing him apart!"

_It is, Bloom, it is! _Sky thought, starting to cry as Valtor drew her in close, comforting and strong, all the things Sky wished he could be right now. He wanted to turn his head away from the scene, but the muscles in his neck wouldn't let him. He saw Valtor saying to her: "I can't stay much longer, you'll start to wake up soon." He saw Bloom lie her head on his chest, her body wracked with sobs. He saw Valtor tilt her chin up gently with his hand, leaning down so there was only about a few millimetres of space between their lips. He saw her lift her head up to his, closing the gap. He saw the moment their lips touched, sending a ripple of pain through his body as they kissed, both totally forgetting him in the love they had for each other - such a new love, yet such a strong love - and his heart seemed to shatter into pieces in that split second. He would never be the same, he knew.

The vision faded and they were back in the sick room. Bloom, lying on the bed, gave a cough and opened her eyes. Her pupils dilated, then contracted as she got used to the bright light that surrounded her.

"Sky?" She murmured weakly, biting her lip, "Were you…" Bloom trailed off as she saw the hard expression on his face.

"Yes, I was, and I saw." He told her, his voice cracking with emotion. "You chose him even when he told you I was watching." He spread his arms in frustration. "Your worst enemy - YOUR WORST ENEMY!" A sigh of despair left his lips as he turned and walked out of the room. Bloom gave a sob and tried to go after him, but Faragonda made a movement with her hand, telling her to leave it be.

"Don't try to calm him down now." She said as Bloom opened her mouth to speak. "It will only hurt him more."

Bloom was torn. Why did it have to be this way? The love she felt coming from Valtor was definitely genuine, and so was the love she felt towards him. But who to choose? A villain who she had only just started to feel affection for, or her boyfriend who she had loved for almost 2 years? The internal battle she was fighting was too much for her to take, and she lay down and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to let you have some rest," Faragonda spoke softly as she left the room and Bloom once again fell asleep. As she slept, the battle for her affections went on and on. Sky or Valtor? Valtor or Sky? It shouldn't have been a hard decision, but it was. Then she found herself in that same forest as she had been in her first dream. Both Sky and Valtor stood before her, begging for her love. Sky was crying and saying over and over that she had broken his heart. Valtor held his arms out, telling her that only he could comfort her. She tried to move forward, but the same ice that had held her the first time now encased her body up to her waist. She couldn't go anywhere until she chose. Sky came forward, taking one of her hands and telling her to turn her back on that villain and come with him, to true love. His hand was cold, and didn't make her feel better in the least. Then Valtor came to her and took her other hand, saying that Sky could never care for her as much as he did. As soon as their hands made contact, Bloom felt the warm feeling spread through her body once again. The ice was melted - on one side.

"Come with me," Sky pleaded, his eyes full of tears, "I promise I do love you!" Bloom didn't know, though. On the side of the hand he was holding, the ice still held firm. Sky's love wasn't unfreezing her - it was making her feel colder instead.

"I love you more," Valtor countered, gripping her hand harder, "Hold my other hand as well, and the ice will recede completely."

Bloom squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart felt like it was being torn in half, but Valtor was definitely the one giving her warmth. She had to choose, or else she knew she would be trapped here forever. She would never wake up. She didn't know how she knew that, but she knew it was true. Slowly, she slipped loose of Sky's grasp, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her boyfriend.

"Why?" He cried softly, before dissolving into mist. Bloom took Valtor's other hand and the ice sloughed away, leaving her feeling as relaxed as she had the first time he held her. The pressure was gone - she had chosen the villain, but she knew it had to have been the right choice. Valtor was the one keeping her warm. Valtor was the one who loved her more. Valtor was the one she would give her love to. He drew her in close to him, lifting her chin and leaning down to her again. She didn't hesitate to bring her lips up to his, the second time they'd kissed that day, even if it was just in a dream. With the beautiful feeling of warmth and love between them, Bloom felt like she could stay that way forever. Except that was when the dream ended. She could feel herself returning to consciousness as Valtor evaporated. A groan issued from her mouth as she opened her eyes. She closed them again, quickly, but she wasn't as exhausted as she had been before. She couldn't go to sleep again. Sitting up, she remembered what had just happened in her dream. She had chosen between Sky and Valtor, and Valtor was the one she loved more. No, wait. He was the only one she loved now, because the only thing she felt towards Sky now was a sort of coldness, something she couldn't call dislike, but something she couldn't call like either. He had become a stranger, someone distant from her. The pressure was finally gone, though, and she felt like she had reached a major turning point. Her life had changed drastically, and whether it was for good or for bad, she had to find Valtor somehow.

* * *

"Where is Sky?" Bloom asked Faragonda as soon as she came out of the sick room. "I'd like to talk to him, but he's not answering his phone."

The headmistress pursed her lips, thinking about when she'd seen the prince last. He had left the room and stayed outside the door for a bit, until Faragonda had come out and told him that Bloom was asleep again. He'd left without a word after that, and she didn't know where he had gone. She told Bloom this, and the princess of Domino gave an uncharacteristic growl.

"He's probably gone back to Red Fountain." She said, scowling. "To tell everyone about how I abandoned him."

Faragonda ground her teeth. Bloom had definitely changed, and it was probably a result of that strange dream she'd had. She seemed to have developed a mean streak. No, less mean than rude and impatient.

"Well?" Bloom was waiting for some sort of answer, but Faragonda didn't know what she wanted her to say.

"I don't know where Sky is. Maybe you should ask one of your friends." She said finally, turned on her heel, and walked off down the corridor. Bloom made her way to the room she shared with the other winx girls, where Stella and Brandon were anxiously waiting for news about her state.

"I'm fine!" She snapped in answer to all their questions, "Where's Sky?"

Stella was taken aback at Bloom's abruptness, but told her that she had no idea where Sky was. Bloom rolled her eyes and left the room, blowing through the corridors like a hurricane with purpose. Taking the bus into Magix City, she abandoned her search for Sky and started looking for her one true love. _Valtor must have created that restaurant, so he'll probably be somewhere around there. _She thought, running through the streets in the general direction of The Vee. _Ugh, it's further away than I thought._

Arriving at the door, she was surprised to find Sky sitting at a table by himself, sulking. She went over to sit with him, and he glared at her. She could see tears in his eyes - he had obviously been crying for a long time. Bloom almost felt sorry for him, but she suppressed the feeling. She shouldn't care about him anymore. She shouldn't, and she didn't.

The waitress with the silver hair came over to take their orders, trying not to smile at Sky's misery.

"What'll it be, sis?" She enquired, and Bloom grinned evilly.

"Mojito mocktail for Sky," she snickered cruelly at him, "and I'd like the drink of the day."

Icy returned Bloom's smile.

"Would you like me to tell you-know-who that you're here?" She asked, getting a yes from Bloom as she scribbled down their drink orders. "What about a meal? You haven't eaten anything for lunch."

"Quite right." Bloom realised that she was starving. "The usual, please."

The silver-haired witch wrote something in her pad and swept back to the kitchen. She smiled again as she thought about her bargain with Valtor.

"You get Bloom, I get Sky." She had told him, thinking about all the things she could manipulate Sky into doing. Now that was coming true, and Bloom was going along with it very well by ordering for Sky the drink that had caused her to fall unconscious.

Coming into the kitchen, she told Valtor what Bloom had ordered. He snapped his fingers and the drinks appeared on Stormy's tray. Sashaying out of the kitchen, she placed them at Sky and Bloom's table. Mojito mocktail - or whatever it was - in front of Sky, watermelon punch in front of Bloom.

"See ya later, sis." She told Bloom, flashing her a grin, "You feel ok if Lissie and Theo sit with you to keep you company?"

Bloom somehow understood that Lissie was the name Icy went by when other people were around. Theo was Valtor's pseudonym.

"Sure, I'd like to talk with Theo a bit." She replied, twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip. "Thanks, Shannon." She used Stormy's pretend name, which had just come into her mind as if someone had told her telepathically.

After a while, Icy and Valtor came to sit with the two exes. Icy struck up a conversation with the heartbroken Sky, who poured out his emotions to her, not knowing who she was at all. As she listened, she smiled inside herself. Manipulating him was going to be easy, what with his heartbreak and confusion about the rift between him and Bloom. He was vulnerable. Icy took his hands in hers, pretending to try and comfort him.

"You'll find someone else, I promise," she said in her most sympathetic voice, hoping she sounded genuine, "Try not to let it get to you - the quicker you let your heart mend, the happier you'll be."

Sky squeezed her hands gratefully, and she tried to ignore the small worm of guilt niggling at her conscience. She reminded herself that she couldn't actually become who she was pretending to be.

"Lissie, you're the kindest girl I know right now," Sky said, shooting a murderous look at Bloom. Icy smiled again, a warm smile that was very unlike the cruel sneer that she usually displayed. It was hard to make herself look friendly, but she knew she had to do it to draw Sky in.

"Sky, you don't deserve this," she told him, drawing a confused look from Valtor. "Why don't we go somewhere else, so we can talk without your ex-girlfriend listening in."

Valtor wanted to jump up and pull them both back to their seats, but he restrained himself. He hadn't planned for this to happen, of course, but maybe he should just trust Icy to do what she thought best for their side.

Icy made a mental 'gag me' motion, thinking about what her sisters would think of how she was acting. They would think she was weak, even though really, she would have to be incredibly strong to keep up the act and stay undercover. She had a plan that she knew would work perfectly.

"So, what were you going to say?" Sky asked, jolting Icy back to the moment. They were in an alley far away from The Vee, but she still wasn't sure they were safe.

"There's something I want to tell you, but I'm not sure if I should." She began, fiddling with her hair.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I could get into big trouble with my master - he might even kill me for it."

Sky was shocked. "Why would your, um, 'master' kill you?"

Icy mumbled something incoherent, and Sky raised his eyebrows.

"What was that?" He asked, turning his ear so he could hear better. Icy shook her head, indicating that she did not want to say it any louder. "Are you scared that he'll hear you somehow?" Sky enquired gently, and Icy nodded furiously, trying to make her gaze as fearful as possible. "Who is your master, Lissie?" He asked her.

"My name isn't Lissie," she said quietly. "It's Icy. I work - well, I used to work - for Valtor."

"ICY!" Sky hissed, summoning his sword, "What spell have you been using on me?"

"Spell? What do you mean?" Icy looked up at Sky, her eyes glistening with forced tears, and Sky lowered his blade guiltily.

"Icy, I'm sorry." He said, looking at his feet, "I'm so sorry - I presumed too much, I guess."

"Oh, Sky," she smiled sweetly, "you don't know how much that means to me. Just saying 'thank you' doesn't seem like enough."

Sky didn't know what to say. Looking at the witch he used to hate, he wondered what was happening to him. Was he falling for her? He decided to find out if they both felt the same way, taking her in his arms and brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. Icy immediately started crying, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sky ran his hand through her silver hair, and she looked up at him. She was smiling wider as tears rolled down her face, and he marvelled at how beautiful she was when she wasn't sneering.

"I said you'd find someone, didn't I?" She told him, putting her arms around his neck. Sky smiled back at her. Maybe the reason why Bloom was so smitten with Valtor was because he made her feel exactly the way Sky was feeling right now, locked in an embrace with the witch who had once led the Trix in trying to take over the whole magic dimension. The witch who had worked for Lord Darkar who was also trying to take over. The witch who had been working for Valtor up until now. He had never thought that Icy could change, but here she was, obviously as in love with him as he was with her. Bloom could freeze in the Omega Dimension, for all he cared; he had found his true love now, and no stupid destiny shells or pendants of Eraklyon were going to get in his way of keeping it like this forever.

* * *

"Who the heck is that?" Stella asked, wide eyes fixated on the girl at Sky's arm. She looked very familiar, and not in a good way.

"This," Sky told the winx girls, "is my girlfriend Lissie." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head gently, drawing a collective gasp from the other fairies. Aisha stared at him, scandalised. "I thought you were with Bloom!" she said, and Sky's face suddenly went hard.

"Bloom," he spat, laughing cynically, "why should I care about Bloom? She left me to be with VALTOR!"

Stella, who had been thinking for a while, suddenly realised why 'Lissie' looked familiar. "Oh no," she gasped, "guys, we need to talk. Now." She pulled her friends out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Is this about Sky's new girlfriend?" Flora asked, puzzled as to why Stella was being so frantic.

"That girl is a witch, Flora!" Stella hissed, "Not only that, we know her very well."

Musa thought about it, then finally saw what her friend was going on about. "No way." she breathed, "It's Icy, isn't it?"

The sun fairy nodded furtively. "She's probably put some sort of spell on Sky so he'll fall in love with her." she said through clenched teeth. "I don't want to lose Sky like we lost Bloom."

"Icy has to go." Tecna agreed, balling her hands into fists. "Tecna, ENCHANTIX!"

The other girls followed suit, and burst back into the room where Sky and Icy were sitting on the couch together.

"Yeah, I thought this would happen," Icy sighed when she saw the girls in their fairy forms, ready for battle, "girls, I come in peace. Please trust me, just this once." She gave a small smile, hoping they would fall for it.

Stella scoffed. "Like we'll believe you!" she growled, taking out her fairy dust with the intention of breaking the hold Icy had on Sky. Of course, there was no spell in effect, so nothing happened.

"Why didn't that work?" Musa gasped, and in the moment of confusion, Flora took the opportunity to come forward and gaze into the witch's eyes. Icy almost flinched away on instinct, but she made a conscious effort to stare back at Flora, putting forward the appearance that she had nothing to hide, and hoping that the fairy bought into it.

Flora, finding that Icy seemed genuine enough for her standards, thrust her hands up into the air.

"WAIT!" she screeched, surprising the other fairies and herself with her overly loud voice.

"What is it?" Aisha asked frustratedly, and Flora spread her arms in welcome to Icy. "I'm sorry we didn't trust you before," she said quietly, "I see now that we were horribly wrong."

Icy bounced off the couch and pulled Flora into a crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she blurted out.

"This is very uncharacteristic of you," Flora giggled, then realised she couldn't breathe. "Too… tight…" she croaked, and Icy loosened her grip.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly, "I'm just really excited that you've accepted me!"

A smile spread over Sky's face as Icy was taken into the heart of the group. She really seemed to have changed, and he loved her for that.

"Tell us exactly what happened to Bloom," Stella pleaded, "what was in that drink?"

Icy cleared her throat, deciding to tell them the truth, since it would help them trust her. "You're not going to like this," she began, "but it was a sleep spell to allow Valtor to enter her dreams."

"He put a control spell on her dream spirit, didn't he?" Aisha dug her fingernails into the material of her skirt. "If someone does that, your body belongs to them, right?"

Sky suddenly perked up. "Then we can break the spell and save Bloom?" he asked hopefully, and Icy pretended to be hurt. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he said, smiling sheepishly at her, "I don't love Bloom anymore, but she's still important, isn't she?"

Icy took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Yeah, about that…" she said, drawing worried looks from everyone in the room.

"What is it?" Stella chewed on her lip in frustration. "Spill!"

"Bloom isn't under a spell," Icy told the fairies, "she chose Valtor of her own accord."

Stella pantomimed a faint, expecting someone to catch her, but everyone else was too shocked to pay any attention to what she was doing. She crashed to the floor, breaking the silence and drawing a few unbidden giggles from the lips of her friends.

"Do not laugh, this is a serious matter!" she groused, standing up and patting her outfit back into place.

"Says the girl who always over-dramatizes things." Flora mumbled, and Stella gave her a withering stare.

"Does that mean that Dark Bloom's back?" Musa asked fearfully, and Icy nodded a yes. Flopping back onto the couch, she explained that now that Bloom had chosen to follow the other side, she would become a dark fairy. There was Disenchantix, the witch form of Enchantix, and then there was Dark Enchantix, the dark fairy form of Enchantix. Dark Enchantix, she told them, was much stronger than both the other forms. It would take all of their power and then some to perform a convergence spell strong enough to defeat a Dark Enchantix fairy.

"Bloom has Dark Enchantix now, so she's more or less invincible," Icy concluded, "even I don't know how to beat her."

Tecna put her hands on her hips. "There must be a way," she mused, "maybe you could find out what it is?"

"Who, me?" Icy looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you could be our spy," Tecna clarified, "act as though you never left their side, so you can collect information to bring back to us. Maybe even give them false information about us!"

The girl's mouth widened into a grin. "So, I'll be a double agent!"

_Hah! _She thought to herself, _This is going to be even easier than I thought._

"Sounds right to me," Sky chuckled. "Icy goes undercover!"

"You'll be great." Musa agreed, "And since you'll have all the info, you can take the place of Bloom."

"Wait, you mean be your leader?" Icy put her hands up in front of her. "No, I can't do that!"

Sky pulled her up from the couch. "Yes, you can," he said gently, "we all believe in you."

* * *

"Icy, you're back!" Bloom grinned as the witch walked into the restaurant. "Where have you been?" She was still sipping her watermelon punch, which was only half gone. Valtor had taken Sky's untouched drink and removed the magic from it.

"I've been doing stuff," Icy said airily, then gave an evil little smile. "The Winx have inducted me as their new leader."

"Nice job, sister," Darcy popped up from the kitchen with a round of strawberry smoothies.

"Where did you get those?" Icy asked, "They look delicious!"

Darcy looked suspiciously at her older sister. Normally Icy didn't act as chirpy as this. She shrugged off the feeling, putting it down to her being excited at the outcome of her plan. "I made them myself, in the kitchen," she said in reply to Icy's question, "not everything is done with a flick of a finger here. Sometimes the only way to make something taste nice enough is to make it out of reality, not magic."

"Oops, I guess I was still in character," Icy explained, having seen Darcy's suspicious look. She snatched a drink from the tray and took a sip. "Where's Stormy?" she asked suddenly, and Stormy put her head around the kitchen door.

"Where do you think I am?" she said sarcastically, "Valtor said we had to prepare lunch without magic, because it would taste better or something. He put me onto making the meals. Little help?"

"Why should I help you? You seem fine working on it yourself." the silver-haired girl spat rudely. "Anyway, I'm going to go collect valuable information about the enemy. Goodbye." She marched out of the restaurant, holding her drink as if she wanted to pulverise it.

Bloom looked at Valtor, who shrugged. "This wasn't part of the plan, but if Icy wants to act as a spy, then she can."

"It might be a good idea anyway," Bloom replied, "I mean, how else are we going to get information? My so-called 'friends' won't trust me, because Sky's probably told them about how I changed sides. Who better to be our spy than the witch that stole Sky's heart? I bet she'll be acting as if she's changed to their side too."

"She's clever enough," Valtor said, "you know, I used to be in love with her before I realised that you were the only one for me."

Bloom scooted her chair around the table until she was right next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and he caressed her hair.

"And I'll never love anyone else," she told him as she relaxed against his side, "no-one but you, Valtor."

"Lunch is ready," Stormy grumbled, carrying in five platters laden with food. She had balanced two on each arm, and one on her head. Bloom laughed in excitement.

"That looks yummy!" she enthused, grabbing three of the dishes and putting them on the table.

"I'm sorry, but Icy won't be eating here." Valtor told Stormy, who growled at no-one in particular.

"I had to prepare this for nothing?" She held out a plate and dropped it on the ground where it smashed, food splattering everywhere. Bloom glared daggers at her, sending a burst of magic at the scattered porcelain and food. It picked itself up off the ground and reassembled itself before floating over to sit on the table. Not a crack was visible in the platter, and the food was back to its original state.

"Do not do that again," Bloom hissed, "it makes more work for everyone here, and cleanup drains me more than you'd think."

"Icy isn't going to be needing that food." Stormy snapped back, sliding the last plate onto the table and knocking Icy's meal back onto the floor as she did so. "Oops," she said sarcastically, "should I clean that up?"

Bloom clenched her fists and growled in her throat. "You will clean it up," she snarled, "you are also going to wash down all the windows, clean all the dishes, and polish every table until they're spotless. I don't care how long it takes you, so just do it."

Rolling her eyes, Stormy leant down and started using a spell to clean everything off the floor.

"Oh, no you don't!" Bloom spat, "You will not be using magic. Do it by hand."

"Yes, mistress," Stormy mocked her, "should I polish your shoes as well?"

"ENOUGH!" she screamed, shooting bolts of fire from her hands in both directions. "I have had enough of this!" She turned to Valtor, offered him her hand. "Why don't we leave her to it so we can eat in peace, preferably somewhere quiet."

Valtor took her hand and stood up. "Agreed," he told her, "I know the perfect place, Bloom."

* * *

"So," Bloom spoke with her mouth full, "what do you plan to do now you have me on your team?"

"Manners, Bloom," Valtor reminded her, smiling playfully, "if you want to be my girlfriend, you have to act like a lady!"

Bloom giggled. She swallowed her bite of pizza. "What are we going to do?" she asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "I mean, you have a plan, right?"

"Yes, I have a plan," he said matter-of-factly, "I just need you to start training."

"Training with what?" Bloom asked curiously, taking another bite of pizza. "You haven't touched your food." she noticed. It was true - Valtor had not eaten anything.

"Oh, I'm just excited to see how this goes," he told her, "and by 'this' I mean your Dark Enchantix transformation."

_Dark Enchantix? _She thought, frowning. _Does that mean I'm a dark fairy now?_

She voiced her question to Valtor, who nodded. He told her she wouldn't be under his control - like when Darkar had her - because she had chosen to go with him by herself.

"Why don't you try transforming?" he asked her, grinning eagerly.

"Ok," Bloom plastered a smile on her face, though she was extremely nervous. "Bloom, ENCHANTIX!"

Nothing happened. She tried again, yelling louder, but it still didn't work. She knew she was doing something wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Suddenly it hit her. "Bloom, DARK ENCHANTIX!" she shrieked, and a familiar flame came up in front of her. Her dragon looked almost exactly the same, except the colour was more of a purple. She let the flame engulf her; felt her dress shimmer into being. The shades had changed to dark bluish-green and black - colours that finally felt like the real her. Then she felt a flutter, and suddenly her wings were there. And they seemed beautiful in comparison to her normal enchantix wings, with a blue tint radiating out from the dark grey centre. She was finally free, embracing her dark side like never before. It had been the right choice after all, and she felt so powerful.


End file.
